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Master of Wine Jasper Morris writes that “Cyril Gautheron is a superb producer making wines in a crisp cool classically Chablis style, which is now really quite hard to achieve in these warmer seasons.” Much Chablis has gotten riper and rounder in the last decade, but for something steely, stony and crisp, we always reach […]
Wine lovers who follow the great white Burgundies of the Côte de Beaune have long looked to the side valleys – one coming in between Chassagne and Puligny, and another between Meursault and Volnay – for top quality at good prices. Sofie Borhmann has several plots up both valleys, and they’re responsible for some of her best value wines.
Sancerre remains among the world’s best known white wines. Sauvignon blanc, a naturally high acid grape, is well positioned to weather today’s hot summers without losing pep and energy. Our source here is the Domaine de la Garenne, an old family domaine of the highest quality, practicing organic viticulture and on track for EU certification next year.
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: another year, another flat out delicious wine from Poggerino – and still a bargain. Italian wine represents a tiny corner of our portfolio, but Piero Lanza’s impeccably balanced wines are some of the most popular in our store. They drink well young, age beautifully, and provide exceptional value.
The wines of Margaux are some of the most celebrated in Bordeaux, admired for their unique blend of finesse and power. The soils are light and thin, full of gravel, sand and limestone, and the resulting wines combine Left-Bank muscle with an exquisite finesse and perfume.
There are winners and losers from the warming trend in France. Weather hazards aside, the Loire Valley and much of Burgundy have come out more or less ahead. In the south, the extremes have been less friendly. It’s no longer uncommon to find wines at nearly 16% alcohol – Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre soak up whatever sun they’re given, and there’s only so much winemakers can do to counter temperatures over 100F. All of this makes Nicolas Hanei’s wines from his tiny Domaine Malmont that much more exciting.
Many famous chateaux in Bordeaux produce a “second wine,” a bottling of juice from younger vines or less favored corners of the vineyard. The quality of this cuvée varies greatly depending on chateau and vintage, but at its best it can be an early maturing wine with excellent pricing, and a careful consumer can find tremendous value.
Alsace is a gorgeous winegrowing region – bucolic hillsides of vines surround fairytale villages on a sunny, east-facing ridge. Its wines can be similarly charming: expressive and delicate with beautiful fruit and vibrant textures. Our source here, the Domaine Charles Frey, is a family of committed biodynamic vingerons, producing wines of freshness and balance.
The 2022 red Burgundies are shaping up to be an extraordinary vintage. Expectations were high from the start: “beautiful and bountiful… very good wines and plenty of them” wrote Jasper Morris. William Kelley called them on release “succulent, suave and charming.” The last year of tasting them in our homes and at the warehouse has confirmed – this is an all around terrific vintage.
Wine writer Lettie Teague once described Sancerre as a wine that delivers “pleasure not profundity.” We think this is an excellent description – sometimes a moment calls for a grand, majestic wine, but other times all you need is something crisp, refreshing, and reliable.
Credit for the discovery of sparkling wine is a matter of dispute. The monks of Limoux in the South of France claim 1531 as the date of genesis; the Champenois, with their stories of widows and Benedictine monks, have certainly won the publicity war; and even the Brits, who invented glass thick enough to contain the pressure, stake a claim.
For years St-Aubin was a white Burgundy collector’s hidden gem. Today it’s no longer hidden – many writers put in on par with Chassagne, Puligny and Meursault – but it’s still a gem. Tucked away down a valley running west from the Côte d’Or, St-Aubin’s vineyards average higher elevation than many towns, a boon in warm climates.
Chassagne-Montrachet is a town synonymous with opulence and richness. Its wines combine weight without heaviness – everything you want in a top class white Burgundy – but usually comes with a hefty pricetag. Roger Belland’s Santenay 1er cru “Beauregard” blanc is not quite as complex or long-lived as a Chassagne premier cru, but for half the price it does an admirable impression, and we think it’s a steal.
In most corners of France, the 2022 vintage was the hottest and driest on record. While this might not portend positively for the future, some wines have undoubtedly benefited. Particularly on the margins – regional level cuvées and lesser-known appellations – the extra heat has made ordinary wines quite impressive.
The 2021 vintage was a tough one in Burgundy. A severe spring frost lowered yields dramatically, and the rest of the season was cool and wet. From a vigneron’s perspective, it was a year to forget – tons of work, for a small crop of limited aging potential.